trust

Reaching Out for Love

/ still a dreamer / 4 Comments

It was a small shop in Easton, PA called The Nature Nook, maybe a decade or so ago. The beautiful craft items were all nature and wildlife themed, but the big attraction for me was the wide variety of lizards and reptiles in the store.

What I immediately liked about these people is how intensively they screened potential purchasers/adopters. They had no qualms about saying `no’ if they didn’t feel you’d be the right home.

I walked around the shop, admiring the incredible beauty of these animals. The shopkeeper walked with me, explaining what each one was, and a bit about them. I was not looking to bring one home, just admiring them, as I love animals.

We came to the cage of a stunning turquoise blue chameleon, and she took him out, handling him gently. I looked at him with soft amazement. He looked back at me, and reached his arms out to me, the universal gesture of wanting to be held.

Still unsure, I asked her, “What does he want?”

“He wants you to hold him,” she said. “He obviously really likes you.”

With some hesitation, I put out my hands, held him under his arms, and drew him closer. He curled up on my chest and closed his eyes. A few tears slid down my face. I was just so honored that this magnificent creature related to me that way.

I didn’t want to ever give him back; he was so sweet. Eventually, of course, I did, feeling terribly guilty that he would have to stay in a cage until a good person came along. But I will be forever grateful for that moment.

That gesture, so simple, reaching out for love with such trust and innocence. We, as humans, are supposed to be at the top of the chain here on Earth. But look at us. Can we not do better? Can we not reach out a little more?

Photo: Alex Cofaru / Shutterstock

Trusting Life

/ still a dreamer / 4 Comments

The holidays, no matter what we celebrate, seem to inescapably be a time for reflection. Not in the New Year’s resolution kind of way, but more of a quiet taking stock.

How did you do? Did you accomplish some of your goals? Did you let go of things/people that have been holding you back? Make new connections? Find new inspiration? Have you been taking care of your health, mentally and physically? Have you nurtured your dreams?

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to give yourself credit for all you’ve done and all you’ve tried to do, whether everything was a finished masterpiece or not.

Looking back over 2025, acknowledge all your growth. Be proud of yourself. Love yourself for every little thing. You did good.

I’m sharing this book here because Louise Hay (r.i.p.) has been a guide on my life path for decades, and was one of my first. She overcame a truly and deeply painful past, and rose to become known worldwide for her message of love. How important it is to embrace self love and heal ourselves, and in so doing, the world. This book is a good reminder.

Trusting life isn’t always so easy these days. Loving ourselves can be a challenge. So when you sit down to reflect a bit on your own life, please remember all you overcame this year. Know you are loved.

More on Louise Hay here.

On Being Vulnerable

/ still a dreamer / 4 Comments

There are still many outdated ideas running around that to be vulnerable is to be weak, and in this country, at least, especially if you’re a male. The truth of the matter is that to let our guard down and let someone in, or to truly open up to our own creativity and inner light … to be vulnerable … takes courage. That’s not weak — it’s brave.

And it takes trust, trust that we won’t be hurt, that we won’t fail, that we won’t find ourselves incapable of meeting the task at hand, whatever it might be.

As a visual artist, I find being vulnerable extremely challenging. As a writer, I am somewhow able to put my heart and soul into words, whether writing for myself, or as I did for over three decades, writing fundraising appeals for literally thousands of abused and neglected animals. I had only to look at their pain, and the words flowed. And our donors could feel what these animals suffered through my words, and helped support their healing and care.

Art? That takes digging deeper. I find myself in a daily dance of desire and resistance. What do you — what do we — find so frightening about pulling forth our art, in whatever form, from the depths of our being? Of laying it out in front of no one’s eyes but our own?

Being vulnerable, even to ourselves, can be a challenge. Finding the beautiful light within and letting it shine brilliantly is so important. The world needs us.

What Patience Yields …

/ still a dreamer / 6 Comments

… a desire to return to the final version of the blue heron I’d wanted to do.

Version #3 is a combo of pen and ink, watercolor, and digital. Just playing around is not always something we (creatives) allow ourselves often enough, but it’s the only way we find new things and grow.